An Adept's Duty: The Scepter of Maris: Book Two

by James R Barnes

  "Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like some refreshments?"

  "Tea would be lovely, thank you."

  Erin was still smiling as she settled into the cushions, tucking a blond lock of hair behind her right ear. The thickly padded chair was very comfortable, he knew, and was not surprised when Erin let out a soft sigh and relaxed into the cushions. Miles gave her a few moments to enjoy and then got right to business.

  "So... you have decided to teach this ungrateful little urchin how to defend herself?"

  "Hey!" This came from both of them, eliciting a smile from him. Especially since Erin was already scowling. Most men probably avoided getting on her bad side, but Miles enjoyed goading her. He would never take it too far, and was sure she knew that, but there was something about getting her flustered that he just could not resist.

  "Pardon me, Ladies. What I meant to say was I understand that you have agreed to train young Anna in defensive skills and tactics. What exactly is this going to cost me?"

  Miles was half serious when he asked. While Erin was fun to tease, the thought of owing her a favor made him slightly nervous. Even more so, considering that after she had watched over Anna during the raid that would mean he now owed her more than one. The sly smile that now slid across her face was only driving the point home.

  "Oh... I am sure I will think of something that will not put too much stress on you. We can discuss that later." Her smile faded and she took a steadying breath before continuing on. "Actually, I am here to deliver some bad news." She said these words to Miles, but turned to Anna next. "I am afraid I will not be able to start your training yet. I just found out that we are transferring our command post to where the soldiers are staging. Carter's Landing, I believe. I am so sorry, Anna. I was really looking forward to it."

  Miles could tell that she was serious, and that it truly disappointed her. Anna tried very hard to not show it, but she was devastated. She bravely held her chin up, though, and her lips barely quivered.

  "That's alright, Erin. What you're doing is important. I'll just have to work on my magic extra hard. Then when you're back I can have more time for training with you."

  "I wish we had more time now..." There was really nothing that could be done about it, so Erin just shrugged. "I will be back, and I promise we can start soon after."

  Anna tried to smile, and did manage a nod. The girl turned back to the tea and wiped at her eye as subtly as she could, but Miles caught it. He was proud that she did not have a fit, and even prouder when she acknowledged Erin's duty. That was a subject that they had spent many hours discussing. When he had caught Anna stealing some hard trail biscuits and apples almost two years ago, using magic to cause the proprietor of the stall to doze off, it had taken him more than a week before he had even slightly earned her trust. It had taken proving his own use of the Gift to convince her he was not going to have her executed, and even then, she did not completely relax until he explained about his Order.

  After many long talks about all of the things she would be able to learn, and what her life would be like from then on, she had begun to feel better about what she could do. Miles made sure that she understood she would never be forced into the same vocation as him, but she would have to learn, and she would have to swear the oaths of loyalty and secrecy. Recently his adopted daughter had begun to speak more often about duty and serving the Kingdom. It was not something he intended for them to decide on until after she was an Adept. There was still time for her to enjoy being young, with limited obligations. Well, before the impending invasion, anyway.

  Miles watched Anna as she used the Gift to heat the tea, and was impressed with her level of control when she was obviously distressed. As a reward, he was going to banish her misery as quickly as possible. He hoped. The news was coming sooner than he expected, but war waits for no man. Or little girl.

  "Good job with the tea, Sweetie. Now serve Erin, fetch me some ale, and I will share my decidedly happier news."

  Two frowns were his reward for that statement, but Anna hurried to finish her tasks.

  "When do you leave, Erin?"

  "Thank you, Anna." Erin sipped the tea just passed to her before answering Miles.

  "Two weeks. We have many more details to work out, but then we will take two companies and march for the forward staging area."

  To Miles it felt like she was trying not to sound too excited. Surely for Anna's sake, and right in that moment he felt a little bit more than fondness for the lovely soldier in front of him. Anna stepped in between them to hand him his ale and the moment was gone.

  "Thank you, love. Have a seat." He shifted to get more comfortable before continuing. "Well... I received my marching orders today, as well. It seems I am to join Lord Marshall Camden's staff as First Adept." Miles could see Anna trying to decide what that meant for her. "I am fairly certain Wil- Grandmaster Stanton," he corrected with a glance at Anna, "and Lord Gabriel Holden came up with that title and position on the spot." He finished with a grin aimed at Erin.

  "First Adept? What exactly are the duties... wait, you are joining Lord Camden's staff?" Miles grin grew wider at the look on her face. He truly did love confounding her. At his nod, she went on with decidedly less excitement than earlier. "So what will you be doing?"

  "Ah... The title they initially used was First Adept of the Combat Order, but agreed they needed to work on it. Basically, I am going to lead the Gifted that will be engaged in combat."

  Miles looked at Anna then, and was not surprised to see concern now on her face. Even though he knew she was concerned she would be left behind, he was also certain that she was worried about his well-being. Miles loved the Gift; he loved the way it felt to use it, he loved the things he could do with it, and he loved how it had changed his entire world. However, for the first time, he had some regret over it being in his life. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was to put the young girl in front of him in harm's way, but he knew that if they lost this war, all was lost. She had abilities that would be useful, she was smart, and resilient. While he would keep her away from the front lines, she would be coming with him. A decision that he knew would cause him to lose sleep, but he still thought it was the necessary one.

  "You, my brilliant little Apprentice, will be coming along as far as the Lord Marshall's command group." A smile had started up again, and he raised a finger to keep her from getting too worked up. "You will work as a runner when needed, and you will continue your studies. Perhaps, if there is time, Erin will be able to start some of that training?"

  Miles would have liked to know what was going on behind the concerned look on Erin's face, but he would have to settle for whatever she decided to tell him.

  "Why you?"

  A fair question, considering that she really did not have the slightest clue as to what his real duties have entailed over the years.

  "Would it surprise you to know that I am probably the most experienced Gifted we have when it comes to combat? Granted I have never fought another magic user outside of training, but I have been using my Gift to fight enemies of the Kingdom for almost ten years. Everything from bandits and thieves to assassins and mercenaries. I have only ever been able to use the full range of my Gift a handful of times, but do not doubt that threat to the Crown was completely eliminated."

  Miles may have gotten a bit serious there at the end, but he wanted her to understand that this was not his ego talking. They were choosing the right person for the job. Erin sat back, looking at Miles in a new light, he could tell. She merely nodded and went back to sipping her tea. Before they could carry on the discussion, three sharp knocks preceded one of House Keller's staff members ducking his head into the room.

  "Three for dinner, my Lord?"

  Miles looked a question at Erin. She hesitated, but then moved to set her drink aside, no doubt to decline and then leave. Anna spoke up before the cup finished rattling against the saucer.

  "Please stay, Erin. Please. The food is really g
ood, and Matthew always makes sure dessert is a special surprise. Usually stuff that I like. Miles' choices are not that good sometimes." Anna shot a quick look at Miles before hurrying on, while Matthew avoided all eye contact and went to straightening his livery a little more judiciously than was necessary. "You'll love it. Please?"

  Erin was a little wide-eyed at the girl's intensity, and looked back and forth between the two for a moment. Miles called out to Matthew while she was still recovering.

  "Three it is, Matthew."

  "Very good, my Lord. It shall be served momentarily."

  "Come on, Erin. You just might enjoy yourself, and I promise to take it easy on you."

  "Oh, please. Just be glad I have decided not to inflict pain upon you in front of Anna."

  "It's alright. I don't mind," Anna replied and ran off giggling.

  "Hey!"

  #

  Miles stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror and tried to work out how he felt about the most recent change in his life. Apparently, with his new job, came a new way of doing things. No longer was he going to hide behind the image of a lazy, good-for-nothing eldest son. He tugged at the sleeve of his new uniform one more time and then sighed. This new development was going to take some getting used to. The purple and gold tabard certainly stood out, so no one would be able to miss the fact that Miles was one of the Gifted.

  It had nothing to do with them knowing he could use magic; it was more about going from always hiding and keeping secrets, to everyone knowing all about what he was. All of the members of the Gifted Order had needed to keep secrets from everyone and hide what they really were, but Miles had operated on those principals at an entirely different level. To the point of passing through a room full of people he knew without them even knowing Lord Miles Keller was among them. Anonymity was once a weapon of his. Now he was ordered to be a symbol for all to see. A shining example for the masses to look up to. Did the people in charge not remember who they were dealing with?

  One more sigh and another second to straighten his uniform, and Miles gave it up. Turning to the door he found Anna smiling so big it must have been hurting her face.

  "What are you grinning at? Do you want spend the rest of the day with Master Tate, studying?" That almost succeeded in wiping out the smile, but the smaller grin was hardly better.

  "Are we off to the Lord Marshall's office, First Adept Keller?" Anna asked innocently.

  "You are enjoying this entirely too much."

  There was no response, and since Miles had already procrastinated for too long, they did actually need to leave right then. One more deep breath, and he made for the door. They moved down the hallways in silence only occasionally broken by a greeting here or there. Miles was actually starting to enjoy the reactions he was getting from several of the people. Slight confusion until they realized who he was, usually followed by open-mouthed stares. There was even a smile on his face by the time they reached their last turn. Anna broke her silence just before they rounded the corner of the passage to Camden's office.

  "Miles?"

  "Yes, Apprentice Keller."

  "Last night was fun. Do you think we can do it again?"

  "Hhmmm... possibly. We will have about two weeks before we leave Dallena, so there might be some time for it. You will need to ask Erin, but do not pester her. And you will accept it if she says no. She will be busy, and might want to spend any spare time with her friends and family."

  "We are her friends."

  "True. Well, you are anyway. I am not sure if she has made up her mind about me," Miles added with a wink.

  Anna's smile was all the answer he got. They traversed the last few feet to their destination in silence, and Miles paused to greet the two young boys waiting outside the door before rapping on the wood and entering. Erin, Stewart and Camden were there, as expected. General George Stanton, William's brother, accompanied by his aide was expected as well. There was also another page standing by the General's aide, and he waved shyly at Anna when they walked over. The last person in the room was a bit of a surprise, though. Miles former superior was standing at the map table speaking to the Lord Marshall and his General.

  "I just do not know, Barclay." Lord Gabriel Holden let out a sigh and scrubbed a hand through his greying, dark brown hair, a sure sign he was frustrated. "There are plenty of rumors and enough small pieces of evidence to paint that picture, but so far Xavier has made no official moves to tip his hand. We believe he is involved, and are keeping a close eye on Rennick's troop movement, but for now that is all we can do."

  "I know your people are doing their best, Gabe. I just feel like we are going to be looking over our shoulder the entire time we are fighting the Orcs. We will be hard-pressed enough without having to fear an enemy creeping up on our backs." Lord Camden was studying a map of the northern border between Glendon and Rennick as he talked.

  "Well, it appears we might have a little bit of luck on our side. The small group of troublesome rebels, the ones that Xavier has been ignoring as insignificant, has grown into a small army of troublesome rebels. They are becoming more organized every week, and the leadership just might be competent. I do not have verified proof yet, but we believe that Dane Harker, a skilled former Sergeant that worked closely with Commander Vettor, is one of the men leading the insurrection. We also know that word has gotten out and several more former soldiers that have been alienated by Xavier seem to have gone missing."

  "Missing?" General Stanton asked, not taking his eyes from the map and moving another marker into place.

  "Some few we believe were picked up by the Crown, but most have gone into hiding, or are believed to have joined the rebellion. Most, we feel certain. This a good thing, since the more trouble Xavier has with that group, the less time he will have for treachery against us. We have instructed our people to offer assistance if the opportunity ever arises."

  "Good. I have my own idea about lending them a hand as soon as Alyssa and her friends get here."

  "You have word of them?" Miles blurted.

  General Stanton frowned and Holden just raised an eyebrow at Miles' unseemly interruption, but Camden actually smiled.

  "A messenger pigeon came early this morning from my wife. Somehow..." Lord Camden shook his head in bewilderment. "The message was short on details, but somehow Alyssa and some friends arrived at Freemont a few days ago. They should be here in a week or so. I can only guess from my wife's necessarily vague missive, but it sounds like they might have had some form of success. She said to be prepared for some 'interesting' guests."

  Before anyone could speak further, a page slipped into the room and handed a note to Captain Stewart. After waving the boy on his way, he unrolled the message and gave it a quick read.

  "Lord Marshall, Lord Holden... The King requests your presence."

  That effectively broke up the meeting, and Miles tried to process all that he had heard while walking over to join Anna. His daughter was speaking to Erin and both looked to him expectantly when approached.

  "What?"

  A matching set of eye rolls later, which he found deeply unnerving, and Erin informed him that they were going to the training yard. Deciding that a little exercise to clear the mind would not hurt, Miles informed them that he would join in. From the gleam in Erin's eyes he should have realized that it could indeed hurt.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  Drakes and Decisions

  All told, there had been fourteen bandits, and the majority of them had not really been much use in a real fight. When Talker and Runner had been let go days before, they had gone straight to the leader of their little band of thieves. It turned out that this group had been preying on the surrounding area for some time and when they were told of the small group that had been spending a lot of silver in town, they decided that it would be easy pickings for their larger group. Even when they realized from the tracks that there were more than four, they could not have possibly guessed what they would find. A force of
thirty-one, most of them hardened warriors, not to mention some of them were mythical beings from children's stories, were a bit more than the rag-tag group of criminals could handle.

  "Well... nothing like a little excitement to get the blood pumping and remind you that you're alive, eh?

  "Brody, you and I have different ideas about what good excitement is. I prefer the fun kind of excitement... you know, the kind that goes hand-in-hand with women, song and drink. Not bandits and... whatever this thing is. What exactly is this thing?" Woodard looked on as several of the Dwarves, led by Shaya, worked on the carcass in the now well-lit bottom level of the caves.

  "A drake. One that has been Corrupted by magic. There was undoubtedly an artifact left behind that had some form of cold enchantment on it. I imagine it was a weapon, but it could have been anything... like the boxes the Dwarves use to chill their drinks, or more likely the enchantment they use to freeze food so it will keep longer. Enber is going through some books and scrolls that were found in case his ancestor left a journal of some sort."

  Alyssa had moved up to stand next to the three men for a moment, but then moved over to watch the Dwarves more closely as soon as she was done speaking. Woodard chose that time to head back to the surface and check on things in the camp. Because of the events that had transpired, they decided to spend one more day at the ancient Dwarven homestead. The Dwarves had explained that the hide from the Corrupted drake was rare and could be very useful. Not to mention worth a lot of gold to certain craftsmen back home. Shaya practically begged to be allowed some time with the drake, stating how many parts of the dead beast could be very beneficial in her craft, and were also pretty rare.

  Meric was sure that by the time they were done, Alyssa would know as much about a drake's anatomy, its uses, and the process that Corrupted it, as the Dwarves did. Several of their group had come down into the cave to look at the beast the others had fought, and it truly was a nightmarish looking creature. Its dark, nearly translucent, scaly hide looked intimidating even with the thing being dead. The dull, grey skin underneath appeared strange in the light of the crystals, and when he mentioned it, Brody remarked that he thought it was kind of see-through as well. Before commenting further, he handed Meric his shield. As soon as Meric slid his arm through the strap and grabbed the handle, the world blossomed into shimmering colors. Meric was so startled that he almost dropped the shield.